Babysitting the Starks
by julliet15
Summary: Captain America is stuck babysitting for the kids while Pepper & Tony are on a business trip. As if caring for the Starks isn't hard enough, he must also struggle with his romantic interest in a certain waitress and with a villain intent on destroying New York.
1. Day One

**This is a family-oriented Captain America story, but I categorized it as Avengers because Tony & Pepper are in it ;) I hope you like this! Oh yeah, and I know that the waitress I write about later in this story has the name of "Beth" and not "Becky" (the name I chose). But by the time I knew about her real name, I had already typed "Becky" about a thousand times and did not want to go back to change all of them. So, my apologies ahead of time. :P**

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For the hundredth time that day, Steve Rogers wondered why he had to be the one waiting outside Stark Tower in the bitter winter cold. He was waiting for someone, anyone, to let him inside so that his real torture would begin already. Having forgotten to bring a hat, Steve was annoyed at having to constantly shake the snow off of himself. A crown of snowflakes rested atop his brow, and he anticipated the heat of indoors to melt it away.

Finally the front door opened, revealing a rosy-cheeked Pepper smiling and carrying a baby on her hip. She gestured for him to come in, which he did gladly. He thoroughly rubbed his hands together and blew on them to return blood circulation. Pepper hugged Steve and smiled all the wider.

"It's great to see you, Steve," said Pepper.

"The feeling is mutual, ma'am," replied Steve shyly.

"Tony is upstairs with Ryder. He should be down any minute."

"Father and son inventing as always?"

Pepper laughed and nodded.

"Where is my lovely wife?" called a familiar cocky voice.

As Tony walked into the room hand-in-hand with a little boy, JARVIS responded, "She is downstairs with Steve Rogers, sir."

Tony rolled his eyes. "It was a rhetorical question, JARVIS."

Tony walked over to Pepper and kissed her lovingly on the lips. The boy scrunched his face in disgust, causing Steve to smirk briefly. Personally Steve rather envied the evident affection between Tony and Pepper (although Steve would rather die than admit it to Tony); their relationship painfully reminded him of Peggy.

"Um, what level am I staying at?" asked Steve awkwardly.

"The top level, old man," replied Tony. "Only the best for our house-sitter/ babysitter."

"Let me fill you in on the protocol," offered Pepper.

Pepper handed Steve the schedule that she had written down for him. It mostly involved the care of her daughter Janet and her son Ryder, who at that moment was sucking his thumb and holding a blanket tightly.

"It seems like a little bit of a handful," commented Steve nervously. "Are you sure I'm the right person for the job?"

Pepper smiled. "Well, our regular babysitter is unavailable. As for the other Avengers…"

"Hulk and Thor would demolish the place, and c'mon, Hawkeye and Black Widow are master assassins," said Tony. "Trust me, as of now you're the best option."

Steve sighed and nodded.

"Thank you so much, Steve," thanked Pepper, who then kissed Steve on the cheek.

Tony pulled Pepper back to himself, kissed her on the temple, and glared at Steve in jealousy.

"Don't steal my wife," warned Tony.

Steve's face reddened, and he shook his head bashfully.

"I have a bowl of fruit in the fridge ready for Ryder's snack time," said Pepper. " JARVIS can help you with everything else."

Pepper went to gather her luggage, and Tony whispered to Steve, "I've got a stash of chocolate chip cookies in the pantry, bottom shelf."

"Didn't your wife just say - "

"Do you want the kid to like you or not?"

Steve glanced at Ryder, who was staring suspiciously at him.

"Okay," sighed Steve.

Tony patted Steve on the back. "There's a good soldier."

"Tony!" called Pepper. "Be a gentleman for once and take my things to the car."

Tony grunted, and he and Steve worked together to load the baggage in the car.

"Doing business in California will be a nice break from living in this blizzard," commented Tony.

"I was just thinking the same thing," responded Steve.

Pepper kissed her kids goodbye and nearly suffocated them with her bear hug. Tony tussled his son's hair affectionately and kissed his giggling daughter on the cheek.

"Goodbye, kids," said Tony. "Be nice to Gramps, okay?"

Steve sneered at the nickname, but didn't say anything.

At the doorway, Tony turned back to tell Steve, "Don't touch my suits, okay?"

Tony and Pepper waved goodbye and finally walked out the door. By the time Steve turned back to face Ryder, he was gone.

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**If you liked this fic so far, thank AvengerGal for begging me to write an Avengers story. If you didn't like it, then you can blame her. LOL, just kidding! Seriously though I thank her so much for all her encouragement. You rock, AvengerGal!**


	2. New Villain in Town

**Hey, so I finally updated! Haha, I've been writing this FanFiction on paper this whole time, and just typed up the second chapter yesterday. Thanks to AvengerGal for her thoughts on my piece before I published it.**

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"Ryder?" called Steve nervously. "Great, he's a troublemaker just like his father."

"Is there a problem, sir?" asked JARVIS.

"Where is Ryder?"

"In the kitchen."

Steve picked up Janet, ran to the spacious, high-tech kitchen, and scanned the marble floors in search of the little Stark. Finally Steve spotted him next to the pantry, happily munching on the chocolate chip cookies that Tony left just for him. Steve shook his head in amusement.

Ryder smiled a cheeky grin, revealing a mouth full of chocolate and cookie crumbs. His big brown eyes that were bright with mischief were reminiscent of his father's teasing look. However, Steve was relieved that in everything else Ryder seemed to take after his mother; Ryder had Pepper's auburn hair, sweet smile, and tiny dimples on his cheeks.

"You are too cute to get mad at," decided Steve.

Ryder giggled.

"How about we go out for lunch?" Steve suggested kindly.

Ryder nodded. Steve smiled, knowing the perfect place for them to go to.

* * *

The last time that Steve was at the cafe, he had just finished going through the information files of his World War II friends, including Peggy Carter. Sitting at one of the outside tables had allowed a perfect view of Stark Tower; he remembered a waitress mentioning to him that people sat there all the time just for the chance of glimpsing Iron Man flying by. Gosh, that waitress was beautiful now that he thought about it. A random old man had told him to ask for her number already; he also called Steve a moron, which he did not appreciate.

Janet gurgled and reached out for her bottle in urgency. Her action snapped Steve out of his thoughts and he lifted the bottle to her lips with an apologetic look. Ryder was happily playing with his Iron Man action figure, making whooshing sounds as he made the figure fly through the air. Steve started to wonder when their order would be taken; just when he thought this, a beautiful blond waitress approached the table.

"May I take your order?" asked the waitress.

Steve looked up and nearly dropped Janet's bottle from surprise. He did not expect to see her here, at his table of all tables.

"Oh, uh… I-I…" stammered Steve, hating that he was never good at talking to women. "W-what do you want, Ryder?"

"GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH!" exclaimed Ryder excitedly.

"Okay," said the waitress with a chuckle. "And for the adorable little girl?"

"Uh, she's good with her bottle," replied Steve. "I'll have a cup of coffee, no sugar and no cream, with a roast beef sandwich."

"Got it," said the waitress. "Anything else?"

Steve paused, not daring to look at her in the eye. "Um, no. Thank you."

"You seem a little lost," commented the waitress.

Steve's eye widened. "Excuse me?"

"Sorry, it's just that you seem kind of confused."

"Oh. Well to tell you the truth, I'm watching a friend's kids for the week, and I have no idea what I'm doing."

As if to prove Steve's point, Janet started to whimper, and then escalated to a full-blown wail. Steve snatched her from her high chair and patted her back rapidly.

"What am I supposed to do?" asked Steve desperately.

"She might need a diaper change," suggested the waitress.

A slight frown of disgust briefly crossed Steve's face, which was then replaced by a look of confusion at what to do. The waitress covered her mouth in an effort to suppress her giggles.

"How about I change her?" she offered.

Steve shook his head. "I couldn't ask you to do that."

The waitress smiled warmly. "All right. I'll just demonstrate."

She took out a fresh diaper from the baby bag, and hypothetically instructed Steve on how to properly clean the baby and to affix the diaper to her posterior. Steve nodded uncertainly, and after prolonged, stressful span of time in the bathroom, proudly reemerged with a giggling Janet and a disgusted Ryder.

"Thank you," Steve said to the waitress in relief.

"Sure thing. Hopefully you'll remember what I taught you," smirked the waitress.

"All right, um… What's your name?"

The waitress smiled sweetly and replied, "My name is Becky. What's yours?"

Steve opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by a bolt of electricity shooting toward Stark Tower. The bolt electrocuted the 'A' at the top of the tower and the impact initiated a huge flash of light. The source of the bolt was a man wearing a suit similar to that of Iron Man. The man sent another bolt of electricity at the building next door to the cafe, which caused the people to erupt in a panic.

"WHERE'S TONY STARK?" demanded the man. "THAT MAN WILL PAY FOR WHAT HE DID TO ME! TODAY YOU SHALL EXPERIENCE THE WRATH OF ELECTRIC VOLT!"

Steve's mind flashed back to a conversation with Tony the day before. Tony was showing Steve the contents of the baby bag that he was to have with him whenever he went out with the kids. Steve had sifted through the diapers, wipes, and baby powder and thus reached the bottom of the bag; there he discovered his Captain America costume and shield.

"Tony, how on earth did you-"

"It doesn't matter how I got it. What matters is why I got it."

"Well, why?"

"It's not just Steve Rogers who's taking care of my kids. It's also my fellow Avenger."

Without another word on the subject, Tony patted Steve on the back and commenced to talk about other tasks having to do with baby care.

Thinking back to that moment, Steve knew what he had to do to save Stark Tower and the people of New York City.

"Becky, get away from here!" commanded Steve.

He grabbed the kids and ran inside the cafe; unbeknownst to him, Becky secretly followed him. The cafe was completely empty by then, and he stopped right in front of the bathrooms.

Steve grabbed Ryder by the shoulders and said, "Stay here with your sister, all right? I'll be right back."

Ryder nodded fearfully. Steve reached into the baby bag and unearthed his vibranium shield from the baby items. It shone in its patriotic brilliance, and Becky stared in awe at it. Steve rushed inside the bathroom to change into his costume, and Becky ran back outside before he came out and discovered her.

Just when Becky came out, Electric Volt blasted the sign on top of the cafe with plasma, and it began to fall from the roof. It was coming down so fast, Becky didn't have time to react to her imminent death. She fell to the ground, and just before the sign could hit her, it suddenly stopped inches from her face. Her eyes widened, and she turned her head to see Captain America holding up the sign with his own brute strength. He seemed to be struggling, as sweat poured down his face and his whole body shook from the strain.

"GET OUT OF HERE!" he shouted.

Becky snapped out of her extreme shock and rolled out from underneath the sign. Captain America pushed the sign off from himself and ran toward Electric Volt.

"WHOEVER YOU ARE, STOP THIS!" demanded the captain.

Electric Volt laughed evilly and replied, "My fight is not with you, Captain. It is Stark Industries that has put my weaponry industry out of business. Now I'm going to destroy everything Iron Man loves."

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that, sir!""

Electric Volt hovered above Captain America and smiled mockingly. He held out his hand to emit another electric bolt, but the captain was too fast for him; he threw his shield directly at Electric Volt and easily hit his target. The robot arm short-circuited and hung limply at Volt's side. The villain growled in anger and tackled Captain America to the ground. In return the super soldier socked Electric Volt in the face, causing him to roll along the ground wailing from the pain.

"You jerk!" exclaimed Electric Volt. "That hurt!"

Volt sounded so childish at that moment that it was difficult for Captain America to suppress a laugh.

"This is ridiculous, you are only a distraction from my try goal: destroying Stark Tower," stated Electric Volt.

The villain shot back up into the air, laughing maliciously as he did so. Captain America spotted a fire hydrant some yards away and smiled as an idea popped up in his strategic mind. He sprinted toward the hydrant, hoping that vibranium would serve the purpose he had in mind.

Captain America waved his arms wildly and shouted in a taunting voice, "Why don't you want to fight me? Don't think you're man enough to face a super-soldier?"

Electric Volt snarled and pressed one of the metallic buttons on his arm.

"Can the so-called super-soldier survive a blast of plasma?"

Just as the plasma began to shoot down toward him, the captain knelt down and held his shield over his head. The plasma was deflected and redirected toward the fire hydrant; the fire hydrant was then blown off its foundation, creating a volcano of water to spew from the ground. The water punched Electric Volt in the gut, causing him to fly backward and eventually fall into the rough neighborhood of New York city.

Captain America could imagine the ring of thugs and gangsters who were bound to be surrounding Electric Volt at that moment, ready to pound Volt for invading their territory. Remembering Ryder and Janet, the caption ran into the cafe to pick them up. When he reemerged with the children, a crowd had already gathered at the cafe's entrance. A hoard of reporters (how they got there so fast was a mystery to the captain) were climbing over each other to try to interview the famous super-soldier.

"Captain America, who is that villain and why has he targeted New York City?" asked a reporter curiously.

"Um, I'm not entirely sure," replied the captain, "but let me assure you that I shall work my hardest to protect your city."

"Are you going to call in the other Avengers?"

"I think that it's a little too soon to be - "

"Do you think the villain will come back?" interrupted another reporter.

"It's very likely that he will - " started Captain America, being again cut off by millions of other questions.

The missiles of constant inquiries from the news reporters bombarded and overwhelmed the captain. If he faced them for one more minute he would start to scream.

"Listen, I need to take these kids home, so if you would please excuse me," pleaded the captain apologetically as he started to maneuver through the crowd.

The people began to mutter their recognition of Tony Stark's kids and immediately plunged themselves into rumors and assumptions about the situation. Becky looked from the midst of the crowd as her knight in shining armor disappeared into the chaos of New York.

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******Hey, that was a lot of action, wasn't it? In case you didn't know, Becky is the girl whom Captain America rescues in the Avengers movie. She's also in a deleted scene featuring Captain America from the movie as well. Thanks to AvengerGal for sharing that with me on Google+ LOL! Anyway, I promise much more adventure and romance to come! Also, should I title these chapters?**


	3. Day Two

**Yay, I finished chapter three.**

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During the late hours of the morning, all of the lights of Stark Tower were off and the robots shut down; Steve had not much liked the idea of technological thingamajigs running around while he slept. Only JARVIS was as awake as ever, monitoring the traffic below and the skies above. An alert indicated an incoming call to JARVIS, who then lit up Steve's bedroom with fluorescent light.

"Mr. Rogers, Tony Stark is calling," informed JARVIS.

Steve groaned and rolled on his bed lazily.

"Could you please pick that up for me?" requested Steve, who had no idea where the phone was and wouldn't know what to do to answer the call anyway.

"Hey old man, how are things?" asked Tony's self-assured voice.

Steve abruptly sat up in surprise, revealing his ruffled bed-head of dark blond hair. He had no idea JARVIS would actually put Tony on speaker for him.

After a few moments of silence, Tony said, "Steve, are you there? Did you have a heart attack or something?"

Steve scowled, and then he remembered a phrase Tony used once. "Put a sock in it, Stark."

Tony laughed. "That's the response I needed to hear. Peps and I are up early for a meeting, and I'm just calling to check up on things."

"Well your kids are fine, but something happened yesterday."

"What, did you finally go on a date?"

Steve blushed furiously. "_No._ There's a new villain in town."

"Who is he?"

"I don't really know. He calls himself Electric Volt."

Tony burst out in laughter. "Electric Volt? Wow, nerd alert!"

"This is serious, Tony," scolded Steve.

"I know, I know. What did you do? You didn't touch my suits, did you?"

Steve scoffed. "No I didn't touch your precious Iron Man suit, I used my own. I don't even know how to get to your suits."

"So you kicked the nerd's butt?"

"I guess you could say that, but he could be back any day. And the press is going crazy."

"Okay, tell JARVIS to boost security response and surveillance by 200%."

"Already done, sir," pied up JARVIS.

"Good," responded Tony. "No one except Steve and my kids go in or out. Listen Steve, I installed transportation system under the tower that leads to the SHIELD headquarters. If the city is under attack, I want to to take Janet and Ryder and send them on the transport pod. JARVIS should be able to help you out with that."

"Got it," said Steve. "Anything else?"

"Just one thing: do not tell Pepper about what happened. She'll get an aneurism."

Janet's piercing cry began to emanate from the nursery, causing Steve to tense up.

"Before you go, Tony, can you tell me how to change a diaper?" requested Steve feebly.

Tony laughed. "I knew there was something I forgot to tell you about."

Tony gave a quick overview and helped Steve throughout he general diaper-changing process; after that Steve began the specified morning routine with breakfast. Now Steve was not much of a cook, so he was grateful for the aid of the robots for once.

Steve and the kids were seated at the table already set with stacks of blueberry pancakes topped with maple syrup. Ryder's hands and face were sticky from eating the pancakes with his hands (he didn't pay much attention to Steve's mild scolding about that). Janet had curled her hand around Steve's pinky and was staring at his long fingers in fascination. Steve felt so at peace in this family atmosphere, which he had not enjoyed since he had left home to join the army in World War II; the atmosphere, however, was missing one thing.

Suddenly, an alarm with flashing red lights sounded and JARVIS said, "Sir, there is an intruder."

The screen on the other side of the room turned on and showed surveillance of the front door. Steve squinted in an effort to make out the person at the doorstep. It was a slender young woman with long blond curls.

At the moment Steve gasped in recognition, JARVIS said, "Initiating security response."

Steve bolted toward the door, shouting, "No JARVIS!"

Too late, Steve opened the door to see a Taser coming straight at the blond waitress from the day before. Becky turned toward him, and the last thing she saw before she fell unconscious was his horrified face.

* * *

As Becky lay on the leather couch, Steve, whose face was fraught with concern, gently wiped her brow with a damp towel. Ryder earnestly watched Becky and Steve, trying to contemplate the situation.

"Steve, who is dat?" he asked.

"Uh, her name is Becky," replied Steve cautiously.

"Why are you afwaid of her?"

Steve bit his lip. "I'm just afraid for her."

"Why?"

"I'm afraid for her safety if she finds out who I am."

At the moment, Becky's eyes flickered open and she said softly, "But I already know who you are. You're Captain America."

Steve gasped and placed his finger on her lips to shush her. His intense blue eyes bore into Becky's heart, causing it to flutter slightly.

"Listen, I don't know why you're here, but you have to leave," ordered Steve.

"Don't avoid the subject," scolded Becky, pushing Steve's hand aside. "You are Captain America."

"Stop saying that! I'm here to take care of Tony Stark's kids, all right?"

Becky pouted, which, much to Steve's dismay, was unbearably attractive. How was he going to avoid revealing his identity without bluntly lying? Becky laid a hand on his arm and smiled softly.

"I know what I saw yesterday," she said, "but your secret is safe with me."

Steve sighed. "Okay. But we officially never had this conversation."

"What conversation?" Becky asked innocently.

The usual facade of austerity momentarily slipped from Steve's face to allow a small smile. He looked down upon her face in silent amazement; her cheeks were a rosy red from being out in the cold, her blue eyes glittered in mirth, and her blond hair perfectly framed her oval face. After a few moments of silence (not so much an awkward silence, but rather a pleasant one), Steve cleared his throat and stood up. He held out his stand, and he helped her to stand as well. He led her to the door and she stepped back outside.

"You know," she murmured, loud enough for Steve to hear, "I cam here to thank a certain hero for saving my life. It's too bad he isn't here for me to thank." Steve blushed and said nothing, so Becky continued, "I would really like to see you again."

Steve's throat tightened and his muscles tensed. He also wished to see Becky again, to get to know her as more than just a waitress, but he was concerned that Becky would become a target of Electric Volt if they associated with each other. While Steve was thinking of this, flakes of snow descended from the murky sky, glittering in the soft rays of sunlight; the serenity of the fall of snow washed Steve in a sort of peace that surprised him. He took a deep breath and nodded at Becky.

"I would love to see you, too," agreed Steve, "But I'm watching the kids."

Becky shrugged. "I could bring Chinese food here. Just as long as the Tasers don't attack again."

"Oh right," said Steve in embarrassment. "I'm so sorry about that. I promise it won't happen again."

"Okay then, I'll bring dinner tomorrow at six."

Becky waved and finally began to walk away onto the streets of New York. Steve silently entreated God for her well-being, hoping that he had not made mistake in opening the door to his heart.

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**And so the romantic tension ensues... Review if you want more of the Captain America intrigue.**


	4. Day Three

**Woohoo! I'm posting chapter four and please review if you want more (yeah that's right... internal rhyme).**

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Ryder and Janet were running their sitter ragged all the next day with their childish antics. When Ryder was demanding chocolate chip chokes, Janet was crying for her formula. When Janet was tugging on Steve's sleeve for her rattle, Ryder was pulling on his other sleeve for his action figures. It was a long day.

Once the energy levels of the two children had started to run low, a lull came over the Stark Tower. Activity became less frenzied, and the noise less amplified. Steve played with the children in the family room, filling in as a live play toy for their whims and imagination. While Ryder preoccupied himself with his set of superhero toys, Steve played peek-a-boo with baby Janet, who was cuddling her stuffed teddy bear.

"Where's Janet?" drawled Steve playfully as he covered his eyes. "Peek-a-boo, there she is!"

When Steve uncovered his eyes, he saw Janet with her arms out in front of her and her palms touching the ground. Her little behind was up in the air and she had a jubilant grin across her chubby face. Much to Steve's awestruck surprise, Janet pushed herself up from the ground and shakily stood upright. Steve reached out his arms as quick as thought to catch her if she fell, but she didn't; instead, with her brother and Steve staring with mouths wide open, she took a step, then another, and then another. Finally Janet reached Steve and fell into his arms in a beautiful, happy childhood moment.

Steve gawked at the giggling infant with a mixed feeling of warm affection and amazed wonder. Steve pressed his lips to Janet's forehead and tickled her playfully. That moment of seeing a small child take her first steps made him suddenly ache for fatherhood, just so he could have another beauty like Janet.

"Do you know how _long_ Mommy and Daddy have waited for that to happen?" asked Ryder in sheer amazement.

Steve's eyes widened. "Oh yeah, about that... Don't tell your parents about what they missed. Let it be a surprise for them, too."

"Okay," agreed Ryder.

"You stay quiet about this too, JARVIS!" ordered Steve in a strict tone.

"Of course not, sir," replied JARVIS in a tone that made it seem like he would be rolling his eyes if he had them.

Steve held Janet closely to himself and sighed. After a few moments, he opened his eyes and realized that Ryder had disappeared.

"Okay, family moment over," muttered Steve. Then, in a louder voice he asked, "JARVIS, where is he this time?"

"He is where Mr. Stark stores the Iron Man suits," responded JARVIS.

"Uh, where's that?"

"Basement, sir."

"Right. thanks."

Steve went downstairs with Janet and entered Tony Stark's lab of Iron Man suits and other incomprehensible technology. Steve banged on the glass door and demanded Ryder for entrance. The door slid open for him and Steve came in with a stern look on his face. He was scanning the room for any sign of Ryder, when all of a sudden Ryder jumped out from behind a working bench and held out a robotic arm fashioned in the same design as Iron Man's, complete with a repulsor. Ryder's palm lit up and Steve could hear the mechanical whine of the blaster getting fired up. Steve dodged Ryder's aim and ducked behind a table, cradling Janet in his arms and wishing that he had his shield with him. Steve bit his lip and braced himself for the impact of flying objects and debris. However, as the moments passed, there was only silence.

Ryder giggled, stepped in front of Steve, and whispered, "What are you doing?"

Steve blinked and said, "Isn't that a repulsor?"

"Yeah!" exclaimed Ryder excitedly. "Daddy made one just for me."

Steve frowned and looked at the palm of Ryder's robotic hand; the glowing circle of light was just that - a beam of light. So Tony wasn't dumb enough to equip his son with a real blaster after all. Steve sighed in relief and stood up.

"Whew, well I think that's enough action for today," exhaled Steve.

"Can we watch a movie?" begged Ryder with pleading eyes.

"Sure," replied Steve kindly.

Ryder instructed Steve on how to work the DVD player, and eventually they managed to play a movie; it was an animated movie featuring the Avengers. Steve couldn't call it particularly accurate, but he enjoyed it all the same. Seeing the sparkle in Ryder's eyes as he reveled in the awesome heroics of the Avengers warmed Steve's heart and reminded him why he suited up for the battle he often grew weary of; it also reinforced Steve's desire for his own wife and children to come home to every day, with open arms.

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**Okay, I promise more romance will be in the next chapter. I've already written it out, and now I just need to type it. Whew, only the Lord knows when I'll have time to post!**


	5. Dinner With a Waitress

**Okay, now for some romance... finally!**

* * *

Ryder had nodded off halfway in the movie, and when it ended, Steve was reluctant to budge for fear it would awake the little boy from his nap. However, JARVIS interrupted Steve's internal dilemma when he alerted Steve that Becky was at the door. Steve gently detached himself from Ryder and stumbled groggily toward the door.

Becky had to suppress a gasp when Steve opened the door, for once again she had forgotten how handsome he was - what with his firm square jaw, his intense blue eyes, and his dark blond hair that looked especially adorable when slightly messy. Steve was taken aback at her personable appearance in kind, but said nothing save an invitation inside.

"I'm sorry for not exactly being prepared," muttered Steve in apology. "I kind of lost track of time."

"Oh, did you now?" responded Becky with a raised eyebrow and a smirk.

Steve rubbed the back of his neck and said, "Ryder and Janet should be awake any minute. Then I suppose we can eat together."

"Oh I forgot to ask, is Ryder into Chinese food?" inquired Becky.

"I don't know. I guess we'll find out," Steve replied.

"There was an awkward silence, and Steve had no idea what to say to disrupt it.

"Um… can you show me where to set up the food?" asked Becky.

"Oh yes," replied Steve, gesturing toward the clear glass table that he had eaten breakfast off of that morning. Becky placed the plastic bag on the table and started to set out the food. Steve watched her in fascination as she skillfully arranged the steaming rice, savory noodles, and succulent meats on the paper plates she had brought with her. Her movements were precise, yet so graceful at the same time - her flowing locomotion was like a dance. Becky accidentally dropped a pair of chopsticks, and when she bent down to pick it up, a sketch pad fell out of her pocket.

Before she had a chance to recover it, Steve picked the sketch pad up and saw the pages full of cartoons, sketches, and doodles. Steve eyed Becky questioningly.

"May I?" he asked politely.

Becky nodded and turned her attention back to setting the table, although she could still see Steve in her peripheral vision. The first few pages were sketches of places and people Steve didn't recognize, but then he saw and extensively detailed sketch of a Chituari alien ship. Steve flipped to the next page and saw various rough sketches of Iron Man flying, Black Widow dueling a Chituari, Hulk running on a rampage, Hawkeye scouting from a tall building, and Thor wielding his hammer.

"These are amazing," complimented Steve genuinely

Becky smiled, but her smile vanished when she saw Steve turn to the pages filled to the brim with drawings of himself.

"What is - " Steve was interrupted by Becky reaching out to snatch her sketchbook back.

Steve's reflexes being too fast for her, he held the little book away from her grasp. Becky clawed at his shirt, practically climbing on top of him as if he were a tree. Steve broke out into playful laughter, straining to make out the sketches while keeping Becky at bay.

There were different poses and angles of Captain America fighting alien mongrels, slamming them with his vibranium shield, or standing triumphantly with his team of Avengers behind him. After a few moments, Steve finally handed Becky back her sketchbook. Becky held the book close to herself as a blush spread across her face.

Steve could not manage to wipe the foolish grin off his face. Sure, he felt bashful at seeing so many heroic images of himself, but seeing Becky's burning embarrassment made him feel teasing for the first time in his life.

"I guess I don't have to ask who your favorite Avenger is," chuckled Steve.

Becky opened her mouth to defend herself or at least make a retort, but she couldn't speak. Steve beamed genuinely at her.

"They really are good sketches," complimented Steve. "Much better than my stuff."

The redness in Becky's face diminished as her eyes brightened in curiosity.

"You draw too?" she asked in disbelief. "Can I see?"

Steve hesitated, and then nodded. He excused himself and within a few moments came back with his sketchbook. Becky carefully turned each page while her crystal blue eyes drank in the detail of New York City buildings, random pedestrians at the Central Park, Stark Tower, and the Stark children.

"How did you learn to draw so well?" Becky inquired.

"I briefly went to art school before I… um…" Steve trailed off in his explanation, causing Becky to grin in amusement. "Before I joined the army."

"What did you do after that?"

"Oh, well I worked in nation security. Confidential activities."

Becky knew not to press further on that subject, for she could see that the serious commander face was slowly overcoming Steve.

"Did you ever meet anyone special?" asked Becky.

Steve was quiet for a long while, and then he finally murmured, "Yeah I did. It didn't work out."

Becky nodded understandingly. "I know how you feel. A year ago I was engaged, and a month before the wedding I had to call it off."

"Why?"

Becky shrugged. "He wasn't who I thought he was."

"I'm sorry about that," said Steve apologetically.

"And I'm sorry about you and your girl."

Steve looked down and sighed. "It's all right. I talked to her recently actually." Steve smirked as the memory flowed back into his mind. "Despite all the time passed, she hadn't changed a bit."

"Except perhaps for the grey hair," amended Steve in his mind.

When Becky's sweet smile flashed in Steve's eyes, the pain of the memory of Peggy began to subside. On the couch, Ryder yawned and stretched out his muscles. Steve saw the question coming, and Ryder asked it just when Janet's big brown eyes opened as well.

"What's for dinner?"

Steve picked Janet up from the baby pen and told Ryder, "Becky brought Chinese food."

"Yay!" cheered Ryder.

So the four of them sat at the dining table eating their fill of chow-mein and steamed rice. Becky had taken a special liking to Janet, and vice versa; Janet would babble something incomprehensible and Becky would laugh for a reason mysterious to the two males at the table. Steve admired Becky's soft-heartedness because he suffered the same kind of weakness for those kids, despite them being descendants of the insufferable Tony Stark.

Steve and Becky conversed much during that time about their likes, dislikes, wishes and regrets. Becky was smart, sassy, and so genuine - a combination of qualities that Steve had difficult finding in a woman those days. She told him how she had worked her way through college as a waitress, and continued to work at the cafe since there was currently nothing better for her to do. Becky steered away from direct questions about Steve's career and personal life, but somehow she still manage to pull the tidbits out of Steve; it drove him nuts. How could he be so open with this woman? Not only did it put her in danger, it endangered his alias, which SHIELD would not be happy about.

Yet Steve still felt drawn to her, even up to the point where she stood at the threshold, ready to leave. Becky leaned agains the door frame and waited patiently in the silence of two people who did not wish to part but knew they must. Steve knew what she was waiting for him to say, and he felt like a moron for not having the courage to say it. Ruder ended up asking for him.

"When are we gonna see you again?" Ryder inquired with a pout.

Becky glanced at Steve and said, "Soon, I hope."

"Me too," blurted out Steve.

Becky nodded and finally departed, leaving a ton of regret on Steve's shoulders.

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******Aw, poor Steve being too scared to admit his feelings! Then again, isn't that all of us?**


	6. Day Four

**Okay, I'm writing this note to address Helpful Reader (aka anonymous reviewer). You were so brutal, and yet you were so right haha. I did update a few of the chapters to address some of the issues that you brought up, but not all. Imagine Ryder is whatever age you want him to be, whatever age makes sense to you. Btw, Tony didn't necessarily leave the lab unlocked, it's just that his son can hack into things easily cuz well... he's a super genius. If that doesn't seem realistic, well... yeah, you gotta deal with it. Important note: the only time I have to even write this FanFiction is the few minutes between classes, so admittedly my description and syntax is rushed and perhaps overly simplistic. Either way, thanks for the honest input. As for the rest of you lovely readers, simple enjoy the ride! Thanks for all your kind reviews/favorites/everything else.**

* * *

All the following day, Steve could not manage to get Becky out of his mind. All he could see were her glossy pink lips curving up in a smile, her thick curled eyelashes, and her perfectly carved nose. Her infectious laugh, her melodious voice, her sparkling eyes overwhelmed his psyche, and even Ryder and Janet's combined cuteness failed hopelessly to drive the thoughts of Becky away.

Finding his sitter too absent-minded to mess around with, Ryder preoccupied himself by flipping through TV channels. Steve was in the neighboring room putting Janet down for nap time. When Ryder came to the news channel, he paused at the sight of chaos in New York City. He listened to the frantic news reporter, who was shakily standing in front of the cafe he had been to earlier that week.

"The new villain who attacked this same cafe earlier this week has attacked once again," informed the reporter. "Witnesses say he kidnapped one of the waitresses and took her to his lair."

"STEVE!" shouted Ryder frantically.

Steve groaned, thinking that Ryder was probably going to nag him for more chocolate chip cookies; however, his sense of responsibility prompted him to check on Ryder anyway since the possibility of a real emergency was very plausible. Steve lumbered into the room, and Ryder gestured toward the TV in a series of flailing gesticulations.

"This villain, calling himself Electric Volt, holds the waitress hostage at an abandoned shoe factory at the outskirts of the city," explained the reporter somewhat nervously. "Please Captain America, we need your help!"

Steve clenched his fists as his lip curled indignantly at his own foolishness. How could he have been so stupid as to let this happen? Steve commanded Ryder to follow him, went back to Janet's room, and snatched her out of her crib, much to Janet's annoyance. He rushed the two Stark children down to the basement, where Tony had installed the automated transport system that would speed them safely to SHIELD headquarters.

"Wait, Steve!" protested a squirming Ryder as Steve tried to buckle him down to his seat.

"No waiting, you have to leave," responded Steve shortly.

"You can't fight him by yourself!"

"You're _not_ going with me."

"No, you need Daddy's suit."

Steve paused. "Why, Ryder?"

"This dude can fly. How else are you gonna get him?"

Before Steve could respond, Ryder darted out from underneath his arm and ran up to the Iron Man storage unit. By the time Steve caught him, Ryder had already hacked into Tony's security system and had opened up the glass container with the red and gold Iron Man suit. Steve gawked at the gleaming metallic armer in jealous awe, feeling the temptation to go along with Ryder's suggestion.

"You need the glowing circle thingy to power it," explained Ryder, meaning to say the arc reactor. "Good thing we got a spare here."

Steve was perplexed at how Ryder knew what to do to outsmart his father's security system and yet did not know the proper term for the arc reactor - or else he just chose not to use it. This little genius was so much like his father, which Steve already knew posed a lot of trouble for those who knew him. While Steve was thinking this, Ryder unlocked the safe holding the arc reactor and handed it to Steve.

"I don't even think it would fit me," Steve protested, mentally comparing his enhanced physique with the average build of Tony.

"It will," brushed off Ryder.

Steve frowned as he serious considered breaking Tony's #1 rule. Would it be considered stealing? Probably. Still, what choice did Steve have? At any moment Electric Volt could take off soaring with Becky as his captive. Captain America would then be unable to pursue, leaving his endeavor for nothing. Plus, Steve knew that the captain was not the one Electric Volt was after. Perhaps it was time for Iron Man to make a run for his money.

Ryder looked up expectantly, standing triumphantly in front of his father's superhero armor and waiting for Steve's mental debate to run its course . Steve didn't notice, but Ryder looked years older in the solemn wisdom resting upon his brow and streaming forth from his sober brown eyes. For that one moment, the little Ryder Stark had grown up.

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**I know it's a short chapter and it ends on a total cliffy, but the original chapter was already getting way too long. I had to split it.**


	7. Operation Save Becky

**This is the chapter we've been waiting for!**

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A streak of red streamed from Stark Tower and trailed toward a gray, worn-down shoe factory whose windows reflected the fading rays of sunlight. At Steve's request, JARVIS powered down the jets and allowed him to quietly land next to the building. The squeaky voice of Electric Volt pierced through the factory's walls, allowing Steve to listen in.

"Any minute now he should be here," cackled Volt.

"What do you want with Captain America?" asked the weak, strained voice of Becky.

"Nothing really," admitted Volt. "I just know that if I get him out of the way, I'm that much closer to destroying Tony Stark."

"Iron Man and the rest of the Avengers will fight back," asserted Becky.

"As far as I know, Iron Man and the rest are out of town. Why else would the captain be the only one fighting me so far?"

"What if Tony Stark is back?"

"Even better!" exclaimed Volt with an air of delight. "Then I could destroy him right now!"

At the exact instance Volt said that last word, Iron Man blasted a hole into the wall, causing charred debris to fly everywhere. Becky looked hopefully in Steve's direction, and her face fell slightly when she realized it was Iron Man. She struggled with the restraints holding her hostage, but she was only just starting to loosen the cords.

"Well look who finally decided to show up," said Electric Volt mockingly.

"Let's get his over with," replied Iron Man in a low, curt voice.

Electric Volt smiled maliciously, turned on the jets of his boots, and slammed into Iron Man like a boulder. They tumbled out through the hole in the wall, wrestling each other with the intensity of adrenaline pumping in their veins. Iron Man punched Volt in the jaw, causing him to fly backward. Electric Volt then spiraled upward into the air and fired up the glowing plasma blasters. A swirl of plasma and white electricity shot down at Iron Man, who unhooked the Captain America shield from his back and positioned it in front of himself for protection.

Electric Volt's eyes widened as his plasma bolt was deflected in all directions by the shield, creating a circle of plasma to surge upward. Electric Volt dodged the retaliatory reflection of plasma and soared higher in the sky, arcing toward the central part of New York City. Iron Man flew after Volt, who occasionally turned back to shoot bolts of plasma. Iron Man always managed to dodge them, but unfortunately the bolts would sometimes strike the inner city buildings or billboards. While Iron Man was distracted with rescuing civilians from the explosions of the plasma, Volt would weave through the skyscrapers at a dizzying speed. The two of them were circling around the neighborhoods of the city, when Volt finally swerved back toward his base.

Electric Volt streamed back into the abandoned factory and instantly turned on the pursuing Iron Man. Volt pressed a red button on his metallic forearm, causing a pair of powerful magnetic cuffs to shoot out from his wrists and pin Iron Man to the wall. Iron Man struggled to wrench himself free, but then he realized that Becky was no longer restrained by the ropes that had bound her to a conveyor belt.

"Well, it seems I've finally managed to restrain you," exulted Electric Volt in a superior, high-pitched voice. "Now you are able to properly listen to my spiel about how much I despise you."

Steve sneered behind the mask, but of course Volt didn't see this.

"I knew either you or the captain would come save the citizen, so I picked the first person I saw on the streets," said Volt. "Now that you are subdued and Captain America is nowhere in sight, I'm free to destroy all you love. As soon as I leave here, I'm going to set off a bomb at the base of Stark Tower. You'll probably see it even from the distance, through that hole in the wall you made. My bomb will be your destruction"

"Do you mean _this_ bomb?" shouted Becky from behind Electric Volt.

Volt jolted and spun around, annoyed that his speech had been interrupted. His mouth dropped when he saw her standing free of her bonds (she had wriggled out of them during Volt's fight with Iron Man) and holding a rectangular bomb mechanism whose timer had only had fifteen seconds left. Simultaneously, Becky hurled the bomb toward Electric Volt's array of technological weaponry and Iron Man, with the enhanced strength of Captain America, ripped free from the magnetic restraints. As a despairing Electric Volt watched the bomb fly, Iron Man turned on his jets and flew forward; he grabbed a screaming Volt by the collar and a shaking Becky by the waist to fly them both out of the building just seconds before it exploded.

Even when they were back on solid ground, Becky was shaking and clutching to Iron Man from the shock. He subtly pulled her tighter to himself by the waist and addressed Electric Volt, who had collapsed onto his knees in his utter anguish. He clasped his hands together and looked up at the sky as if he were entreating the heavens for mercy.

"All my work - just dashed into the air!" wailed Volt. "I'm such a failure. First I can't keep my weaponry business running and then I can't even exact revenge on the person who ruined it for me!"

Steve's eyes narrowed, but before he said anything, Volt addressed him.

"I'm a crushed man, sir," he sighed. "Killing me now would be just payment for what I've done."

Steve's blond eyebrows lifted, and he replied, "I'm not going to kill you."

"Oh God have mercy!" cried Volt. "Will you not have the heart to end my misery?"

Steve shook his head. "It's not the end of the world for you."

"It's… not?"

"Listen, revenge should never be the answer for your problems. You need to consider a career and a lifestyle that you can succeed in."

"I suppose."

"Working at Stark Industries... could be a good start."

Steve wasn't entirely sure if it was such a smart idea to be offering this guy a job; then again, if it causes Tony Stark some inconvenience it was totally worth it. Besides, Volt did not appear to be a particularly bad person - just confused.

Electric Volt turned off his robotic arm and unlocked it from his appendage. He stuck out his hand and smiled, albeit half-heartedly.

"Thank you for your kindness," said Volt sincerely. "I must say, it is oddly out of character."

_"Tell me about it,"_ thought Steve, who shook Volt's hand vigorously.

"You should probably know my real name is Howie Dooley," admitted Volt. "Gosh, what a name I've got! No wonder I have issues."

Steve chuckled and said pleasantly, "Nice to meet you, Howie. Try not to get into any more trouble."

Howie sighed. "I don't know how I'll explain this to my Ma."

With that, Howie fired up his jets and flew to wherever his mother was waiting to scold him.

Steve turned his attention to Becky, who had finally recovered from the explosion that she had impulsively caused. Steve was exceedingly thankful that the Iron Man mask concealed his blush upon realizing she was still in his arms.

He tentatively withdrew from Becky and asked, "Are you all right?"

"Yes, thank you," replied Becky. "And thank you for saving my life."

Iron Man nodded. Becky nervously tugged at one of her messy curls and said, "You know, I'd also like to thank Captain America for protecting me as well."

"Really?" said Iron Man. "Well I'll be sure to pass on the message."

Becky nodded, but Steve could see the disappointment oozing into her haggard face.

"Okay," she consented. "Please tell him that… that I think he is the bravest and most genuine person I've ever met, who deserves every happiness. And… he would make a great father some day."

Iron Man stood silently as Becky's words processed in his mind.

"I uh, can say that from how he was with your kids at the cafe," explained Becky quickly. "Ugh, what am I saying? I'm sorry, I'm only making a fool of myself."

Becky shook her head and turned away in her embarrassment. However, Iron Man turned her back by the shoulders to face him properly.

"You're not a fool. I am," replied Iron Man.

Steve uncovered the mask and revealed his tired, faintly grinning face. Becky gasped and lifted her slender fingers to graze his cheek. Finally relieved of his mental burden of secrecy, Steve sighed and gently leaned into her touch.

"Becky, I am Captain America," stated Steve with finality.

"Why are you so openly telling me this?" questioned Becky in awe. "I thought it would blow your cover… or what was left of it anyway."

Steve chuckled. "It does. But in such a short amount of time, you became an important part of my life. I don't want to keep this part of myself away from you anymore."

"Thank you, Steve," said Becky sincerely.

"Just so you know, SHIELD will probably never let you hear the end of it from now on," informed Steve apologetically.

Becky shrugged good-naturedly and lightly tapped Steve's burning cheek. "Eh, I figured that would happen as soon as I figured out who you were. Only, how am I ever going to repay you for saving my life?"

Steve's brow lifted playfully and he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. He looked back at Becky, and her assured, beautiful gaze strengthened his confidence in a way he had never experienced before. He encircled Becky with his arms and stared into her luminescent pools of blue. The time of being a coward was over.

"You could give me your number," he suggested at last.

Becky smiled and nodded agreeably. Steve adjusted his azure gaze to fixate on her alluring mouth, slowly leaning in to engage her lips with his. Becky stood on tiptoe to meet him halfway, and finally their kiss was complete in a satisfying expression of mutual affection. They embraced like that for few pleasant moments as the sun began to cast its fading orange glow upon them. They could have been there for hours more, but there were still a couple of children whom Steve had to recover from the SHIELD agency. Reluctantly Steve withdrew from Becky and offered her a ride home.

"What do you mean a ride - " Becky didn't get to finish the question, as Steve instantly held her close and shot off into the fading redness of the sky.

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******So that's the end... okay well not really. Still got one more chapter to go, and this journey will be finished!**


	8. Homecoming Day

**This is the final installment of the story.**

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It took half an hour of heated argument with Nick Fury for Steve to convince SHIELD that New York's villain was compromised and that he could safely return the Stark children home. It took another half hour to gain Nick Fury's grudging acceptance of Steve's relationship with a civilian, whom SHIELD had apparently kept an eye on as of late. Steve was right to warn Becky that her life would never be the same after his confession to her.

Maria Hill finally emerged with a grumpy-looking Ryder and Janet; the children's sour temper sweetened considerably at the sight of their beloved sitter, prompting Ryder to lunge toward Steve and Janet to squirm in Maria's arms. Steve squished Ryder in a bear hug and nuzzled against Janet's smooth, chubby cheek. He thanked Agent Hill and swept the children away like a whirlwind before anyone could ask any more questions.

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A few days later, Stark Tower was in a peaceful standstill - that is until Tony Stark burst through the door; he wore his sunglasses (even though he wasn't in California anymore) and hauled along his heavy black leather suitcase. He inhaled the pure, frost-bitten air contentedly, and paused before he bellowed his announcement.

"Honey, I'm home!" he exclaimed theatrically.

"Welcome back, sir," greeted JARVIS, sounding relieved that his master finally returned home.

"Thanks, JARVIS," responded Tony as he held the door open for his precious Pepper, who was huffing and puffing from the exertion of carrying her luggage. "I thought the gentleman was supposed to carry the luggage for you."

Pepper chuckled good-naturedly. "The gentlemen should think to offer his services on his own next time."

Tony shrugged and closed the door behind his wife. He looked up and saw his son bounding down the stairs in a rush. Steve carefully stepped down behind Ryder with Janet cradled in his massive arms.

"Careful, Ryder!" called Pepper.

Ryder jumped down to the bottom of the steps in a magnificent leap; the momentary searing pain in his ankles told him that he probably shouldn't have done that. Ryder sprang toward his father, who was more than ready to squeeze his son hard enough to get the vertebrae of Ryder's back to crack. With tender care, Steve shifted Janet to the cradle of her mother's arms, arms that had yearned to enclasp the beautiful infant for a long, aggravating week. The Starks huddled together in a warm, endearing family hug; Pepper, in the midst of the embrace, looked up and held out her hand toward Steve. Steve took Pepper's hand, thinking she would simply thank him through a handshake; to his surprise, however, he felt her tug at his arm as the children watched in expectancy.

Tony nodded at Pepper and said, "Steve, whether I like to admit it or not, you're part of the family."

"Yeah, so get over here!" demanded Pepper playfully.

Steve chuckled and complied to the Starks' invitation. Perhaps he didn't have a wife or child of his own just yet, but it felt nice to be adopted into this surrogate family. For the first time in a generation, Steve knew that he belonged, that he was adored, that he was loved; it felt more thrilling than any battle he had ever fought in his life.

After several moments, Ryder began to squirm between his parents and requested leave of the now suffocating hug. Once he was set free, he took one of his plastic action figures out of his pocket and made whooshing and blasting sounds as he circled the figure around and around. Tony watched his son, frowning when he saw that the figure, though it had the body of Iron Man, wielded the Captain America shield and had the Captain's head.

"Ryder, what are you playing with?" asked Tony in a sickly sweet voice.

Pepper and Steve glanced at the action figure; when Steve looked, he smacked his forehead and groaned.

"I'm playing with my new favorite superhero," informed Ryder amiably, "Captain Iron Man."

Pepper's jaw dropped down to the ground and Tony's eye smoldered with furious, raging fire. Tony whirled around and shot an accusing finger at his fellow Avenger, who had already begun to gather his things.

"How did you get into my lab?" demanded Tony.

"I let him in, Daddy!" piped up Ryder.

Tony glanced at his son and said curtly, "I'll deal with you later. Right now I have to kill somebody."

Steve's eyes widened in alarm as Tony lunged toward him, possibly in an effort to strangle him. Steve's quick-thinking agility kept him out of reach of Tony's vengeful rage, but it wouldn't for long. Steve bolted toward the front door - his only means of escape - with Ryder calling after him in a panic.

Much to Pepper's horror, Tony took out a remote with a large red button and pointed it toward the front entrance. The moment Steve opened the door and grabbed his shield, Tony pressed the button with a scheming grin.

"WATCH OUT, STEVE!" warned Pepper and Ryder.

Pepper and Ryder's warning was unnecessary, as Steve was already well aware of what Tony had in mind. Steve hefted his shield and slammed it into the oncoming electric Tasers with super-soldier impact. As soon as he knocked off the heads of the Tasers, Steve stuffed his shield into his humungous duffel bag and began to walk toward the nearby cafe; he had an uncharacteristically cocky grin on his face.

Watching the security footage, Tony snarled as one by one his Tasers were demolished.

"Darn that stupid shield," Tony muttered under his breath.

Meanwhile, Steve already had his whole day planned out with Becky, whom he couldn't wait to see at the cafe. There was a spring to his step and a tune to his whistle while he strolled along in the warm sunshine, which managed to peek through the sky's dark grey clouds. When Steve spotted Becky across the sea of tables, they both blushed and waved to each other. As he stared at her sparkling orbs of blue, Steve was struck with the thought that those were the eyes he wanted to look into everyday for the rest of his life.

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**Well, that's the end... of this story. I have a sequel in the works, but it won't be published for a while yet. Be on the look for it if you liked this story. It will be titled "Mission America" and will involve some major butt-whooping on Becky's part. Also, how would you guys feel about me putting my own spin on a next generation Avengers story? I've been thinking about doing that for a while now.**


	9. Epilogue

**Okay I know I said the previous chapter would be the last one, but I had this idea for a bonus chapter rattling in my head so... here it is. Also, the SEQUEL to this story is up. So, if you liked this story I suggest you go to my profile and go to Mission America.  
**

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"Tony, what are you up to?" asked Steve suspiciously as Tony led him and Becky down a corridor of Stark Tower that they were not acquainted with.

"Did you know that the point of a surprise is for the person to _be_ surprised?" retorted Tony sarcastically. "Relax, old man, you'll find out soon enough."

Steve frowned in displeasure, while Becky squealed in her excitement; unlike her boyfriend, Becky loved surprises as much as she loved Shakespeare and cheesy romance. Tony finally paused in front of the door at the end of the hallway and turned to face Steve with a stern glare.

"Wait one minute," ordered Tony, indicating the dire consequences of violating his command with the ferocity of his stare and the strictness of his voice.

Tony slipped inside, and Steve and Becky could hear rushed rustling, muffled bickering, sudden clattering, and exclamatory cursing. Finally Tony called for them to enter, and they obeyed; the lights in the room were dimmed to twilight, allowing just enough light for them to see the wide expanse of a dance floor before them. A stage was at the back of the room, with a band of obscured figures standing atop with their instruments. The poor lighting cast mysterious shadows on the figures, but Becky and Steve could still recognize them by the silhouettes of their physiques. The roll of the drumbeats and the flow of piano notes began to spread their sound across the room, intertwining with the chime of the tambourine and the rich voice of Tony commencing to sing.

Tony nodded at Steve, who got the idea and encircled Becky's waist with his inviting arms. She in turn wrapped her thin arms around his neck and beamed at him with a regard that none but a lover could provide. Oblivious to the eyes of the band members resting on them, the couple swayed to the beat of the music in a sentimental daze. Becky, who felt a sort of serenity that she had not experienced for a long time, rested her head on Steve's muscular chest in contentment. Steve knew he would have to suck up his pride and thank Tony for this later, but for now he simply relished the feeling of Becky in his arms.

"Thank you, baby," Steve whispered in Becky's ear, causing a delicious shiver to trail down her body.

The music softened to a soothingly slower tune, and soon Steve sensed the presence of two other couples joining him and Becky on the dance floor. Clint was leading a tenderly smiling Natasha by the hand, and Bruce was doing the same with a blushing Betty Ross, who had recently rejoined him in a science partnership. Tony, abandoned at the stage, continued to play on his keyboard without complaint; this was highly uncharacteristic, but Tony decided to stuff it for once and appreciate the moment. The music did not fade in Steve and Becky's hearts even when they stepped out of their romantic getaway, and it would not fade for a very long time. The sweetness of their affection could be savored by their swelling hearts in the greatest feeling known to humanity, and to the world.

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** I was originally going to put the lyrics to "How Sweet It Is (to be loved by you)" by James Taylor on this, since that's what I imagined Tony singing during this scene... but then the FanFiction rules say you can't put music lyrics so... -.- Life stinks. Anyway I felt that the song pertained well to the sentiment between Steve and Becky.**


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